Far Longer than Forever
Far Longer than Forever is the theme song from the animated movie the The Swan Princess, written by James Newton Howard, Carole Bayer Sager, Carole King and Stephen Schwartz with the additional song orchestral arrangements provided by James Newton Howard and William Ross. The song is performed by Regina Belle and Jeffrey Osborne. It was nominated for a Golden Globe in 1995 for Best Original Song, but lost to "Can You Feel The Love Tonight" by Elton John and Tim Rice from The Lion King. Production The Regina Belle song "Eternity" was used as the B-side for this song. Personnel *Regina Belle - vocals *Jeffrey Osborne - vocals *Robbie Buchanan - producer, arranger, keyboards, synth, bass, drum programming *David Foster - producer, arranger, synth programming *James Newton Howard - orchestral arrangements, drum programming *Steve Porcaro, drum programming *Jeremy Lubbock - orchestral arrangements, conductor *Simon Franglen - keyboards, synclavier *John Van Tongeren, Bob Daspit, Michael Boddicker - keyboards *Michael Thompson - guitar *Hollywood Studio Symphony Orchestra - orchestra Critical reception A writer for The New York Times noted, "The melody of 'Far Longer Than Forever'...echoes the first five notes of Beauty and the Beast. The New York Times The Animated Movie Guide said the song had a theme of faith. This commercial single was jointly released by Sony Wonder and Sony 550 Music. MusicHound Soundtracks: The Essential Album Guide to Film, Television and Stage Music called the "seemingly mandatory big ballad" as "extremely annoying" due to "striking a totally different artistic note" in the contect of the film's musical landscape. The Motion Picture Guide 1995 Annual: The Films of 1994 said the song was deserving of the Golden Globe. Star-News deemed the song "insistent" noting that audiences may "quickly get their fill" of the tune Context It is sung within the context of the film as a love song, and again performed over the credits as an RnB ballad by Regina Belle and Jeffrey Osborne. In the 1994 animated film, the song was performed by vocalists, Liz Callaway, as the singing voice of Princess Odette, and Howard McGillin, as the singing voice of Prince Derek. In the closing credits, a popular rendition of the song was performed by renowned R&B recording artists, Regina Belle and Jeffrey Osborne. Christina Aguilera and Barry Manilow sing a reprise of the song in the 1997 sequel The Swan Princess: Escape from Castle Mountain. The lyrics of the song revolve around the bond between two lovers who, although they are far apart, have faith that their love would eventually draw them together once again. In the film version, Princess Odette and Prince Derek are pledging their love for each other, despite the fact that distance and circumstances separate them. However, they truly believe that their love shared could overcome any barrier. References Category:1994 singles Category:1994 songs Category:1990s ballads Category:Theme music Category:American pop songs Category:Contemporary R&B ballads Category:Vocal duets Category:Songs based on fairy tales Category:Songs from animated films Category:Songs written by Carole Bayer Sager Category:Songs written by James Newton Howard Category:Songs written by Carole King Category:Songs written by Stephen Schwartz (composer) Category:Songs written for films Category:Regina Belle songs Category:Jeffrey Osborne songs Category:Love themes Category:Pop ballads Category:Soul ballads Category:Song recordings produced by Robbie Buchanan Category:Song recordings produced by David Foster Category:Columbia Records singles Category:Song recordings produced by James Newton Howard Category:Beth Nielsen Chapman songs Category:Michael McDonald (singer) songs Category:Reprise Records singles Category:MCA Records singles Category:Song recordings produced by Walter Afanasieff Category:Songs written by Babyface (musician) Category:Song recordings produced by Stephen Lipson